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Budzinski doesn’t find Nippon’s announcement that it will retain production at Granite City Works for two years to be reassuring.

The new Japanese owner’s acknowledgement that it will maintain the status quo at the Metro East mill provides the first public remarks the company has made about Granite City Works’ future since late 2023.

SunCoke Energy Inc. confirmed this week it plans to forge ahead with its plans to buy the blast furnaces in Granite City that would permanently shut down steelmaking at the Metro East mill. It remains unclear if U.S. Steel or Nippon has the appetite, however.

The Collinsville Kahoks, Granite City Warriors and Freeburg Midgets are some of the Metro East schools that could be required to change if the bills pass.

The rally on Sunday was hosted by three of the affected districts: the Collinsville Kahoks, Mascoutah Indians and Granite City Warriors.

Find results for mayoral races in Illinois including Belleville, Cahokia Heights, Granite City and Alton as well as the Mississippi Valley Library District Board.

David Goins, Curtis McCall Sr. and Mike Parkinson were all reelected Tuesday, and Godfrey Village President Mike McCormick earned his fifth term in office. However, in Belleville, City Clerk Jenny Gain Meyer beat Mayor Patty Gregory.

Earlier this year, then-President Joe Biden blocked the deal, and President Donald Trump also remained opposed to it.

U.S. Rep. Nikki Budzinski of Illinois has renewed her push to include parts of the Metro East in federal legislation that would compensate residents for being exposed to radiation from the World War II-era atomic weapons program.

A separate deal to sell both blast furnaces in the Metro East town has been on the back burner, which union officials believe will cost hundreds of jobs. If the U.S. Steel sale is dead, some worry what’s in store for Granite City.